Federal “datapalooza” and college ratings to come next year

Inside Higher Ed reported Oct. 31, 2013 that the White House and Department of Education will be hosting a “datapalooza” in the Spring of 2014 that will “look at better ways to package and provide access to existing federal data on colleges and students, such as the government’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, known as IPEDS.”

The same article says that the Department of Education is targeting 2014-15 to launch a new college ratings system. It will measures student outcomes such as earnings and graduation rates. The new nominee for Under Secretary of Education, Ted Mitchell, is expected to play a big role in the new ratings system. He is the former president of Occidental College and the current president of New Schools Venture Fund.